Hermetic seal and method of making same



lM. JAEGER HERMETIC SEAL AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME ,Filed May s, 1924 INVENTOR Mm; Jaeyezf BY QUATIORNEY Patented Aug. 30, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MAX JAEGER, or CORPORATION,

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO ANCHOR CAP & CLOSURE OF BROOKLYN, NEW"YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

HERMETIC SEAL AND METHOD F MAKING. SAME.

Application filed May 3,1924. Serial No. 710,722.

The present invention relates broadly to the art of packaging, and more especially to a hermetic'seal and the method of making same.

' 5 Heretofore in the art, hermetic seals have generally beenmade in two ways; first, ar`

ranging a gasket on a suitable container and then forcing a closure cap downwardly over the gasket to distort the same and form a hermetic joint between the closure cap and the container. This method required an operation which comprised placing the gasket in position on thecontainer and in view of the difliculty this operation required vhand manipulation, which is not desirable in this age of automatic machinery. The other method in commonuse comprised applying a cap, with a gasket therein' and carried thereby, over a slightlysmaller diameter mouth of a suitable container and then positively -distorting the bead of the cap to tightly force the gasketradially against the glass and thereby provide the required seal. This method comprises a very efficient way of applying a closure but necessitates sealing forces of sufficient magnitude to occasionally cause breakage of the container. In caps of this type the seal is preferably low the mouth of the container and therefore the cap must be provided with a depending flange carrying the bead, which 1s of suflicient length to permit the sealing zone to be located on the 'side wall of the con- In seals of this character it the sealing surface shall be substantially cylindrical and in view of the fact that this portion of aglass container is formed by the ring mold of a glass mold, which must b e lifted from the formed article, it is diicult to manufacture containers with such cylindrical surfaces, because the cylindrical form does not permit of sufficient draw to enable the ring mold to be lifted easily.

The present invention overcomes the difficultiesl of the hermetic seal and method of making same which embodies the advantages of both of the prior methods specified, and avoids the disadvantages heretofore attended thereto. In the present invention a hermetic seal 1s formed adjacent the mouth of the container by forcing thereover a closure cap carrying of handling plastic gaskets.

made slightly be:

tainer below the mouth of the container. is desirable that known -art by providing aI a suitable gasket in such manner that the gasket slides downwardly over a conical surface adjacent the mouth of the container and a portion of ledge or shoulder on the container and above a supporting member on the lower edge of the cap, which may comprise a solid rigid wire edge that may be formed by tightly coiling the edge of the skirt of the cap inwardly and upon itself. Preferably the inclined conical surface on the container is wetted just prior to applying the cap so that the elastic gasket, preferably of a rubber composition, slides downwardly over the conical surface and expands beneath the ledge or shoulder on the container when the parts are completely telescoped. The telescoping operation may be carried out by a supporting chuck or head which vmoves parallel to the gasket interlocks beneath a the axls of the container and which may be provided with a supporting rim which prevents undue distortion of the skirt of the cap 'during the sealing operation.

After having generally described the present invention in certain aspects, it may lbe stated that the principal object of the present inventionis to provide a hermetic seal for closures and the like comprising a closure cap with a. depending skirt having, a supporting ledge for a gasket combined with a container having a conical. ring adjacent the mouth thereof and a locking edge beneath the lower portion of the said rino.

An equally important objectV of. the p esent invention is the method of forming hermetic closures which comprises providing a container having an inclined surface adja` cent the mouth thereof, ywetting said. surface, and telescoping a suitable closure carrying an surface to wedge the gasket material between the mouth ofthe container and the skirt ofthe cap, thereby forming a hermetic seal. Other and further objects of the' present invention will in' part be obvious and will in y part be pointed outhereinafter in the specification following by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a partithereof. Realizing that he present invention may be embodied in structures and carried out by steps other than those specifically disclosed, it is desired vthat the disclosure herewith shall be considered as illustrativeand not in the limiting sense. l

Figure 1, of the drawings is an elevational view of a sealed package according to the present invention.

Figure 2, is a 'sectional view of a suitable container and a cap prior to the application of the cap to a container.

Figure 3, is a sectionall view showing a container sealed according to the present invention.

Figure 1, is a detail sectional view. showing the relationv of the gasket on the side wall of the container prior to sealing and illustrating a portion of a sealing head adapted to seal caps in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 5, is a detail -view illustrating a` section through a portion of the skirt of the cap, the gasket, and the side wall of the container, after the seal has been made.

Referring now to the drawings, which il- 'lustrate a preferred embodiment of a capv and sealed package in accordance with th)e presentv invention, the cap comprises a cover portion 1, which preferably has a depending center 2, to form an annular shoulder v4:. A substantially cylindrical skirt 5 depends at i right angles from the cover portion and preferably terminates in a tightly coiled inturned wire edge 6 which provides a lower supporting member for a suitable gasket 7. Preferably this gasket comprises an annular ring of rubber composition or other suitable plastic material, and the gasketpreferably distance' which is less than theD length of the gasket 7.

Preferably the conical sealing surface 9 is wetted sufficiently to forma film of liquid over the surface to comprise a lubricant to prevent the gasket from sticking to the surface during the sealing operation. The sealing operation may be carried out by causing a telescopiiig movement between the closure and the container.'l This may be effected by the use of a suitable sealing chuck 11, which may comprise a head portion that carries a cushion 14, such .as rubber, or the,4 like, andi a work face 15, may be formed of fibre or other .suitable material. This chuck preferably is provided with va depending rim 16 having an internal Vdiameter slightly greater than the external diameter of the skirt of the cap to be applied. yThis rim 16v does not distort the bead of the cap, but

on the contrary supports the bead against distortion by internal forces when the cap, is being forced over the container. the chuck is placed over a cap setting loosely on the' wetted conical portion on the container and pressure is applied to the chuck,

lthe gasket 7 will be distorted and will slide down over the conical surface, which opera- When tion will continue until the end of the coiitainer contacts with the cover portion ofthe cap. As soon as the lower portion of the gasket passes the ledge 10 on the container. the portion of the gasket beneath the ledge being freed from compressive forces, will expand beneath the ledge and will lextend between the ledge and wire edge 6 in the form of an inwardly extending locking ring 17, thereby securely locking the cap in position on the container.'l

From the foregoing construction itwill` be observed that if internal forces are vexerted against the cover portion of the cap, there will be a tendency to pull the skirt of the cap inwardly at the top part thereof, and in view of the fact that the lower edge of the skirt is securely held from expanding by vmeans of the wire edge, the gasket material between the container and the skirt of the cap will be further compressed and the interlocking action between the cap and the container will be increased, thereby more securely locking the cap to the container.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A closed package comprising a elo-sure cap having a cover portion, a skirt depending from said cover portion, a ring shaped gasket supported by said skirt,A in ucombination with a suitable container having a sharp edged locking shoulder adjacent the mouth of the container and with the external diameter of said locking shoulder being greater than the internal diameter ofsaid gasket ring before the cap is applied, and means on said closure cap supporting said -gasket ringadjacent said shoulder and maintaining a portion of said gasket ring under said shoulder withoutnecessitating deformation of said closure, therebyl interlocking said, cap Without deformation thereof with said r:ontainer and forming a hermetic seal.

2. The method of hermetically sealing packages, comprising a closure cap having a skirt carrying an elastic gasket ringrand a container having, a conical sealing -`zone adjacent the mouth `thereof which terminates in a locking ledge of greater `external diameter` than the internal diameter of thesaid gasket, which method comprises providing a film of lubricatingI liquid between the sealing zone of the container and the gasket and then telescoping the closure cap over the container to compress the gasketand inter-l lock the gasket 'and the ledge on the' conla tailler.'

gasket between the side wall of the cap and the container and to position a portion of the gasket under the locking ledge on the container.

4. The method of forming hermetic seals between a closure caplhaving a cover portion, a skirt depending from said cover portion, a reinforcing edge at the bottom of said skirt, and an elastic gasket above said reinforcing edge and a container having a substantially incompressible side wall with an inclined sealing zone adjacent the mouth of the container and terminating in an interlocking shoulder, whichv method comprises wetting said sealing Zone and forcibly telescoping said'cap relatively7 to said container, and causing said gasket to slide downwardly over the sealing zone to'compress the gasket between the side wall of the cap and the container and releasing the pressure on the portion of the gasket extending toward the container under the shoulder while support ing the full length of the gasket by the cap skirt thereby causing the gasket to expand under the shoulder. l

5. As an article of manufacture, a vessel having a smooth annular surface extending conically from the mouth of the vessel to facilitate application of a ring gasket small.

er than the maximum circumference of said conical surface,'said surface ending abruptly to form a sharp annular locking projection adapted to interlock with a gasket expanded thereover to hold a closure cap in place.`

6. The method of forming a sealed package which comprises providing a rigid walled vessel having a surface extending conically from the mouth thereof and endi ing abruptly in an annular locking edge,

nular locking edge.

providing a closure cap, providing a gasket having a normal internal diameter which is less than the diameter of the annular locking edge, interlocking the gasket with the closure cap, and then telescoping the cap locking edge to compress part of the gasket against the conical surface to form a seal,

and to interlock the gasket under the an- 7. The method of foi-ming 'a Sealed package which comprises providing a rigid walled vessel having an outwardly extending annular surface near the mouth thereof, said outwardly extending surface ending abruptly in an annular locking edge; providing a closure cap; providing a gasket.

having a normal intei'nal diameter which is less than the diameter of the annular `locking edge; interlocking the gasket with the closure cap; and then telesroping the cap and gasket over the outwardly extending surface and the locking edge to compress part of the gasket against the outwardly extending ysurface to form a seal, and to interlock the gasket ing edge. y

8. A sealed package comprising a rigid walled vessel having adjacent its mouth an annular outwardly extending surface ending abruptly in' an annular locking edge;

a cap having a skirt portion surrounding l said locking edge and spaced therefrom; a

substantially rectangular gasket between saidskirt portion and said outwardly extending surface of the vessel, said gasket vhaving a normal internal diameter which is less than the diameter of the locking edge and said gasket being stretched over 'and interlocked under said locking edge and held against said outwardly extending surface by the resiliency of the gasket and4 by compression of the gasket between the skirt portion and the container; and an inturned under the annular locksie wireedge at the bottom of the skirt .portion l locking said capito the gasket.

9. A sealed package comprising a vessel having adjacent its mouth an annularoutwardly extending surface ending abruptly in an annular locking edge; a gasket having 'a normal internal diameter which is less than the diameter of the locking edge, said gasket being stretched over said locking edgewhereby the resiliency of the -gasket acts to hold it interlocked under said locking edge and also against said outwardly extending surface to form a seal; and a closure cap associated with said gasket.

10. A sealed packagecomprising a vessel having adjacent its mouth an' annular outwardly extending surface ending abruptly in an annular locking edge; a gasket having a normal internal diameter which is less than the diameter of the locking edge, said gasket being stretched over said locking edge whereby the resiliency of the gasket acts to hold it interlocked under said locking edge and also against said outwardly extending surface to form a seal; and a closure cap associated with lsaid gasket, said cap having a skirt which embraces said gasket and holds it compressed thereby supplementing the resiliency of the gasket in holding it interlocked ywith the locking edge and against the youtwardly extending surface to form a Seal,

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